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67 Maplewood

My husband and I had a summer film exchange. Marc curated the sports films; I chose the musicals.

I was introduced to: "Remember the Titans," "The Blind Side," "Field of Dreams," "The Weight of Gold," "Bull Durham," and "Draft Day." I cried during Selections Two and Three; there may also have been tears during "Titans."

On the flip side, Marc encountered: "Rent," "Gypsy," "Joseph," "Phantom of the Opera," "Enchanted," "The Music Man," ""Oklahoma," "Cats," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Sweeney Todd," "Hello, Dolly," "Carousel," "The Sound of Music," "Hamilton," "West Side Story," "Into the Woods," and "South Pacific." (You can see that this film exchange was a bit lopsided. Also, some of the musicals here were true movie-musicals; some were filmed stage performances.)

Some general observations.

James Horner's score in "Field of Dreams" is unassailable; it should be taught in graduate courses.

The original filmed version of "The Music Man" is quite conservative; the Broadway script is more or less intact; Robert Preston's canonical performance is preserved for all time. The writing is sharper than you imagine, and there is an impressive "timeless" quality (which took me by surprise).

Also, if you haven't seen the Renee Goldsberry/Will Chase version of "Rent" -- NOT the movie -- then I'm not sure why you're waiting. It's on Amazon Prime. I don't mind that it's just a filmed stage performance; the cameramen are skilled; the cast is basically flawless.

These are my recommendations. Happy Autumn to you....
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